Hood latch



Nov. 9, 1954 Filed March 21 1950 C. A. SIGEL HOOD LATCH C. A. SIGEL HOOD LATCH 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 21 1950 Jnz/enzar 6204425 .Iffarneys.

o 9, 1954 c. SIGEIL 2,693,977

HOOD LATCH Filed latch 21, 1950 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 ar/J. Jf'yel United States Patent HOOD LATCH Carl A. Sigel, Chicago, Ill., assignor to Chicago Forging and Manufacturing Company, Chicago, Ill., a corporation of Delaware Application March 21, 1950, Serial No. 151,004

2 Claims. (Cl. 292-221) The invention relates to an improvement in latches, and has for one purpose to provide an improved hood latch assembly for motor vehicles.

Another purpose is to provide a hood latch assembly for the front end of the hood or hood closure of an automotive vehicle.

Another purpose is to provide such a latch which may be operated from outside of the hood.

Another purpose is to provide such a latch which may be operated from the interior of the car.

Another purpose is to provide a structure of maximum simplicity and efiiciency.

Other purposes will appear from time to time in the course of the specification and claims.

I illustrate my invention more or less diagrammatically in the accompanying drawings wherein:

Figure 1 is a partial side elevation of a car with parts broken away and parts in vertical section;

Figure 2 is a section, on an enlarged scale, on the line 2-2 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a section on the line 3-3 of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a section on the line 4-4 of Figure 3;

Figure 5 is a partial plan view of some of the structure shown in Figure 4, with the parts in a different position;

Figure 6 is a section on the line 66 of Figure 2;

Figure 7 is a partial plan view of a variant form of the device;

Figure 8 is a section on the line 88 of Figure 7; and

Figure 9 is a view similar to Figure 7, with the parts in a different position.

Like parts are indicated by like symbols throughout the specification and drawings.

Referring to the drawings, 1 generally indicates the hood of an automobile. 2 indicates a hood closure, preferably of the type opening at or hinged at the rear. Whereas the details of hinging and support are not of themselves part of the present invention, it will be understood that the device may be employed with a hood hinged, for example, at the point indicated at 3 in Figure l.

The hood latch structure includes an upper component mounted on any suitable plate A on the closure 2, and a lower component mounted on any suitable plate B on the hood 1 itself.

Carried by the plate A is a keeper plunger 15 having a conic enlarged head 16 and any suitable securing means, such as the screw-threaded upper end 17 and the lock nut 18, the main nut 19 being in a recess 20 in the plate A. Surrounding the stem or plunger 15 is the compressed coil spring 21, the upper end of which may abut against the nut 19, and the lower end of which may be compressed by a follower or guide 22, having a bottom flange 23 and an upper sleeve 24 readily slidable along the plunger 15. It will be understood that when the parts are in the free position the spring 21 is effective to thrust the follower 22 downwardly about the head 16 until the sleeve portion 24 engages the upper surface of the head 16. It will be understood that in the use of the latch, when the keeper plunger 15, 16 is released, the spring 21 will tend to raise the hood closure 2 upwardly a slight distance.

Mounted on the lower plate B is a keeper structure which will now be described. I illustrate, for example, an aperture 50 in the plate B, positioned to receive the head 16 on the stem 15 when the parts are in the closed position, as shown in Figure 3. Mounted upon and riveted, welded or otherwise secured to the bottom of the plate A is the downwardly spaced sub-plate or element 51 which has an intermediate portion 52 spaced downwardly away from the lower surface of the plate B. It has an additional portion 53 which abuts against and is secured to the lower surface of the plate B. It has formed in it a generally oval, open-ended sleeve 54. As the portion 51 extends from the sleeve portion there is provided, in effect, a bridge defining, with the lower surface of the plate B, a space in which a latch lever 55 canmove. This lever is shown as pivoted, as at 55a, to the lower surface of the plate B, and as extending between the plate B and the member 52. It carries, also, a keeper blade 56 which is free to enter the space surrounded and defined by the aperture 50 and the sleeve 54, since one side of the sleeve is supported on the bridge portion 51 and is thus spaced downwardly away from the lower surface of the plate B.

The latching or keeper lever or latchbolt 55 is pivoted at its outer end, as at 57, to an intermediate actuating link 58. The link 58, in turn, is pivoted, as at 59, to the end 60a of an actuating lever 60 which is pivoted, as at 61, to the lower surface of the plate B. The lever 60 has a crooked extension 62, most of which is spaced downwardly away from the lower surface of the plate B. Thus it may under-ride the pivot end of the keeper or latching lever 55 when the parts are in the position shown in Figure 4. It has an upwardly extending end portion or ear 63 which is shown as extending into an arcuate guiding and limiting slot 64 formed in the plate B. Its upper end is shown as pierced or otherwise formed, as at 63a, to receive the end of any suitable actuating member which, for example, may be a rod or a Bowden wire 65. Such a rod or wire may, if desired, extend to an interior actuating lever 66 mounted within the automobile car body. It is shown, for example, as pivoted, as at 67, on the running board. It will thus be understood, as from Figures 1 and following, that if the operator pulls rearwardly on the upper end of the lever 66 he moves the Bowden wire component 65a downwardly and to the right, referring to the position in which the parts are shown in Figures 1 and 2. The result is to rotate the lever 60, 62 about the axis 61. This, in turn, imparts generally endwise movement to the connecting link 58 and rotates the latching lever or latchbolt 55 counter-clockwise about its axis or center 55a, referring to the position of the parts in Figure 4. The result is to move the latchbolt blade 56 from the latching to the released position.

Assume that the head 16 had previously been latched by the blade 56, the result of the movement of the blade 56 to released position is to permit the spring 21 to lift slightly and to elevate the head 16 to released position. The parts are shown in latched position in Figure 4 and in released position in Figure 5. It will further be understood that the spring 70 tends normally to hold the parts in latched position. Whereas any suitable means may be used for this purpose, I find it convenient to secure one end of the spring 70 to the plate B, as at 71, and to secure the other end to the lever portion 62, as at 72. However, a wide variety of yielding means may be employed to hold the parts in latched position, but with insuflicient strength unduly to resist the movement of the operator in actuating the lever 66.

With reference to the form of Figures 7 to 9, I illustrate an embodiment of my invention which, if desired, may be actuated through the front grille of the automobile hood, but which also may be actuated by a Bowden wire or similar member. It will be understood that the plunger 15 and the head 16, and their associated parts, are the same in the two forms. However, the bottom plate B, with its aperture 50, is shown as carrying a somewhat simplified lever structure. The support and sleeve, indicated by numbers 51 to 54, may be used, if desired, but, as a matter of convenience and simplification, I illustrate it as omitted from Figures 7 to 9.

The latching lever or latchbolt is shown as pivoted, as at 91, to the plate B, and as having an intermediate latching blade 92 normally urged by the spring 93 into latching position and partially into alignment with the aperture 50-. The spring 93 is shown as secured at one end, as at 94, to the lever 90, and at the other end, as at 95, to the plate B.

As the means for moving the latchholt 91 to thereleased position I illustrate the simple lever 96 pivoted, as at 97, to the plate B. It is shown as provided with a bent operating end'98 which engages the somewhat extending end or edge 90a of the leveror latchbolt 90. In fact, the relation between the; edge 90a" and, the end 98 is, in a broad sense, a slidingand camrning relationship. The opposite end of the lever 96' may be moved, in the direction of the arrow, toward releasedrposition. The parts may be properly aligned and" located. so that the outer end of the lever 96, extends to or through or near to any suitable front grille. However; I may also. employ any suitable actuating; member, such as the Bowdenwire component 97, which may, if desired, be extended to the interior of the car, as shown in. the form of Figure l 1. It will be understood that the spring 93 will normally holdthe parts'in the latched position in which they are shown in Figure 7, but that the rotation of the lever 96, whether it is moved from inside. of the car or from theiront of the car is effective to expand the spring 93andtomove the latchingblade 92 to the inoperative position inwhich it is shown in Figure 9, thus permitting the spring; 21 to move the stem 15 and the head 16 to the released position. 1

With either or both of the forms of my latch herein shown I may desire to employ a safety latch 161, shown in Figures 1 and 3. It is shown as having a portion 162 which is normally held by thespring 163 in the position of Figure 2. Thus, even though the head 16 is released, the closure 2 cannot rise until the operator has reached in beneath'the edge of the closure 2, and, by engagement of the portion 167, has freed the end 162 so that it can pass the locking edge 168 of the aperture 160 in the plate B.

It will be realized that, whereas, I have described and illustrated a practical and operative. device, nevertheless many changes may be made in the size, shape, number and disposition of parts. without departing from the spirit of my invention. I therefore wish my description and drawings to be taken as in a broad sense illustrative or diagrammatic, rather than as. limiting me to my precise showing.

I claim:

1. In a hood latch assembly for motor vehicles, or the like, a latch support having a keeper-receiving aperturev therein, a latchbolt pivoted to the supporthaving a latching bladef portion adapted to extend into alignment with the keeper-receiving aperture, a releasing lever pivotally mounted onthesupport for rotation about an axis parallel with but spaced from the axis of the latchbolt relative to the keeper-receiving aperture, the releasing lever having one end operatively associated with a portion of the latchbolt, said portion being remote from the latchbolt pivot and adjacent the latching blade portion so as to move the latchbolt to released position in response to a predetermined movement of the releasing lever, said end of the releasing lever having a carnming surface, said portion of the latchbolt having a follower surface in engagement therewith, the camming surface on the releasing lever and the follower surface on the latchbolt normally engaging each other on the opposite side of the keeper-receiving aperture from the latchbolt pivot, the latchbolt and releasing lever having latching positions and releasing positions, each being rotatable between these positions, and yielding means connected to the latchbolt and to an ofiset portion of the latch support for normally urging it and the blade portion on the latchbolt toward, their latching position, the offset portion of thelatch support being in the path of the releasing lever when rotated toward its releasing position and at a-predetermined distance from its latching position so that the offset portion will eiiect a stopping action on the rotation of the releasing lever when the latch blade portion has cleared the keeper-receiving aperture, but before the camming surface on the releasing lever and the follower surface on the latchbolt have become disengaged.

2. The structure of claim 1 wherein the pivot of the releasing lever is closely adjacent the end which is operatively associated with the latchbolt and characterized by and including an actuating. member secured to the opposite end of the releasing lever, the lever arm thus 7 formed between said last-named lever end and its pivot being substantially longer than the lever arm between said pivot and said lever end operatively associated with said latchbolt.

References (Iited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,563,489 Hooppaw Dec. 1, 1925 1,690,655 Weymann Nov. 6, 1928 1,963,483 Ball June 19, 1934 2,274,696 Hill Mar. 3, 1942 2,286,740 Krause June 16, 1942 2,558,959 Jandus July 3, 1951 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 633,717 France -1 Feb. 2,. 1928 733,858 France Oct. 12, 1932 

